Rookie Leonard gives Spurs unexpected scoring help

Kawhi Leonard put the ball on the floor in traffic, and the Spurs’ bench held its collective breath.

Trapped between two New York defenders on a fast break last week, Leonard spun the ball behind his back, splitting a double-team en route to the rim.

“I thought Pop was going to have a heart attack,” point guard Tony Parker said, referring to coach Gregg Popovich.

For a rookie small forward not known for his offensive prowess, Leonard’s coast-to-coast layup in the victory over the Knicks seemed to materialize out of thin air.

“I didn’t teach him that one,” Parker said, laughing.

Obtained in a draft-night swap that dealt popular backup guard George Hill to Indiana, the 6-foot-7 Leonard arrived from San Diego State billed as a defender and rebounder the likes of which the Spurs did not possess on the wing.

In that, the 20-year-old has lived up to the hype.

More than halfway through Leonard’s inaugural pro season, however, Spurs coaches also have found him to be a better offensive player than he showed in two college seasons.

Heading into tonight’s game against Washington, which the Spurs must win to have a chance at salvaging a winning mark on their seven-date homestand, Leonard is averaging 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds.

“He shoots much better than advertised,” Popovich said. “He’s been aggressive and has participated offensively. We didn’t really expect that.”

Despite logging little more than 23 minutes per game, Leonard leads the Spurs in steals (50) and averages more offensive rebounds per game (1.7) than every player but DeJuan Blair.

Those numbers aren’t out of character, given Leonard’s lunch-bucket reputation. His behind-the-back drive against the Knicks was.

“That just comes from being in the gym every day,” Leonard said. “I put it behind my back so nobody else could get it.

“Fortunately, I ended up at the basket.”

Most surprising of all, Leonard is shooting a serviceable 35.9 percent behind the 3-point arc, where he never will be confused with Steve Kerr but is markedly improved from his NCAA days.

In two seasons at San Diego State, Leonard hit 25 percent from a shorter distance, leading pro scouts to wonder if he had the range to thrive in the NBA. That question mark pushed Leonard out of the lottery.

“It motivated me,” Leonard said. “I want to be an all-around player, not just one-dimensional.”

As the Spurs examined Leonard’s background, they saw a player who could provide sneaky offensive contributions, on top of his apparent defensive gifts.

Before arriving at San Diego State, where coach Steve Fisher often used him at power forward, Leonard was a productive 3-point shooter as a prep star at Riverside (Calif.) Martin Luther King High.

Less than 24 hours after the draft, during Leonard’s first visit to the Spurs’ practice gym, Engelland shifted his release point from above his head to in front of his face.

“He had a foundation we thought we could work with,” Engelland said.

Barred from further contact with his new coaches when the NBA lockout took effect a week after the draft, Leonard spent the extra-long offseason polishing his new mechanics alone in Las Vegas and San Diego.

“Probably by the second day, I was comfortable with it,” Leonard said.

When Leonard emerged from the lockout with a refashioned jumper, it told Spurs coaches all they needed to know about their new rookie.

“He really wants to be great,” Engelland said.

Greatness is a destination still down the line for Leonard. To get there will take time and hard work.

Yet as Leonard proved in one heart-stopping, highlight-reel play against the Knicks, sometimes the most thrilling moments of greatness come when you least expect them.